Winter Kill, стр. 32
“Your feet are deadly weapons.”
“You’re just lucky that kick didn’t land where it nearly did.” Adam was still amused. He sat up, swinging his legs off the sofa.
Rob watched him with dismay. “Where are you going?”
Adam’s smile twisted. He said apologetically, “I think maybe the guest room might be a good idea.”
Rob caught his hand and kissed it. “Hey. Don’t do that.” He kissed the back of Adam’s hand again, and felt the tiniest tremor of Adam’s fingers. “You don’t want to do that.” He nuzzled Adam’s wrist, feeling the hammering pulse point.
Adam swallowed. His eyelashes flickered. Fluttered? Whatever, it was disarming as hell. “It’s not a matter of want to, but I do think—”
“Stop thinking,” Rob told him. He kissed the sensitive skin of Adam’s inner elbow, gave him a tug, and Adam sat down beside him on the cushions as though his legs had given out.
“We’ve got an early day tomorrow,” Adam said faintly.
Rob kissed his shoulder. Adam’s breathing sounded funny. Rob kissed the curve of his neck, nuzzled him beneath his ear. Adam made a soft sound, very close to the moan of Rob’s imagination.
Rob said, “Adam, listen, you can still spend the night in the guest room. But that’s not what I want, and it’s not what you want, and why shouldn’t we have what we want?”
Adam was watching him sideways, still breathing those light, shallow inhales and exhales.
Rob kissed him moistly under his jaw, kissed him at the corner of his very firm mouth, which quivered.
“Up to you,” Rob said. “You decide.”
Adam turned and his mouth covered Rob’s.
Chapter Ten
He woke several hours later to bright moonlight and a headache.
Rob was still deeply asleep, snoring softly, peacefully on the other side of the king-size bed.
Adam rose, trying not to jostle the mattress, and found his way to the spa-like bathroom in search of aspirin. He flicked the wall switch, wincing at the flood of bright light, found a bottle in the cupboard and swallowed three tablets—hopefully aspirin—washing them down with water scooped from the sink. He splashed water on his face and stared blearily at his red-eyed reflection. Ugh. He was sore and aching. Some of the aches were more pleasant than others, but all guaranteed he would be doing little sleeping for the rest of the night.
He wasn’t much for sleep these days anyway. In fact, he’d always had trouble turning off his brain. Alcohol didn’t really help because halfway through the night he’d wake up wide-eyed and brain buzzing like now.
He turned off the lights and stepped back into the bedroom where Rob continued his untroubled slumbers.
Adam felt a swell of affectionate amusement. Good for Rob. He’d earned a good night’s sleep. Adam’s memory of the evening was foggy. He did remember being pleasurably surprised at just how attentive and inventive Rob had been. In fact, he hadn’t been with anybody that tuned in to what he wanted since—well, a very long time.
In fact, if Rob didn’t live in the back of the Great Beyond, Adam would be tempted to start thinking maybe there was a possibility of…what?
By his own admission Rob was not the From This Day Forward type.
Whereas Adam. Well, he was an FBI agent. The first word of the Bureau’s motto was fidelity. Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity. There wasn’t any future in it, but it was tough not to give in to the desire to crawl back into bed and let himself be calmed and comforted by Rob’s presence. He continued to study the sleeping mound next to the empty stretch of sheet where he’d lain.
Yes, it would be all too easy to care for Rob.
Adam crossed to the picture windows and gazed out.
From this vantage point, Nearby looked like an Alpine village in one of Rob’s Disney films. Was there a Disney film set in an Alpine village?
Frankie must have finally gone home because there didn’t seem to be a lamp shining in the entire town. In fact, there didn’t seem to be a light on in the entire world. Not that it was dark. The reflection of moon and starlight on snow illuminated the mountains and forest in an unearthly silver light.
He shivered. There was a stark, almost aching beauty to it.
A couple of other vacation homes dotted the pristine hillside. There was plenty of room between them so nobody was breathing down anyone else’s neck.
As he stood watching he noticed a pale glimmer moving through the house on the ridge across from Rob’s.
The next instant it was gone. Maybe it had been a reflection?
Adam waited, watching.
He was growing bored and cold when he saw the single bright dot moving on the top level.
Ghost light? He smiled grimly. No, sure as hell that was a flashlight beam.
He tried to think of a good and lawful reason someone might be tiptoeing around their own house using a flashlight.
Maybe the power was off?
He glanced over at the clock beside the bed. The illuminated numbers read four thirty.
The power wasn’t off all across the valley. It didn’t mean it wasn’t off in that rental. Even so, what was someone doing up and creeping around at four thirty in the morning?
Granted, he was up and creeping around.
He watched the light die again.
What are you up to?
Maybe nothing at all. Given the rapidly rising murder rate in the town of Nearby, it seemed worth checking out.
He went back to the bed and sat down on the mattress.
“Rob?” he said quietly.
Rob cut off mid-snore, jerking awake. “Hm? I’m listening!”
“The house across from this one. Does someone live there?”
Rob was silent for a few seconds, processing. “Live there?” he repeated. “It’s a rental property.”
“Someone’s moving around inside with a flashlight.”
After a moment, Rob threw back the covers, rolled out of bed, and went to the windows. He said finally, “You could be seeing a reflection from headlights.”
“There aren’t any cars on the road.”
Rob was silent, staring through the window. “I don’t see anything.”
“It went dark before I woke you up. I watched it move from room to room downstairs and then again upstairs.”
Rob turned back to the window. Adam joined him. The windows in the vacation property remained solidly blank.
Rob said, “You want to go check it out?”
The relief was substantial. Adam had been prepared for amusement or exasperation. “I would like to. Yes.”
“Okay. Let’s go see what’s going on over there.” Rob turned from the window. “I think we should walk. It’ll take us a little longer to get over there, but whoever is in that house won’t see or hear us coming.”
They dressed quickly, Rob loaning Adam a black sweater, a dark parka, and a pair of wool gloves. Then they armed and headed into the cold night.
The crust of snow crunched softly beneath their boots as they jogged down the road. Ahead, the vacation rental continued to sleep beneath the rafters of clouds.
Adam knew he hadn’t imagined that furtive light. He was afraid that whoever was behind it would be long gone by the time they made it down the long, slippery road.
Five minutes into their run, Rob, slightly ahead, stopped so suddenly, that Adam slammed into him. Rob grabbed his arm, steadying him. “What…the…fuck…is…that?” he whispered. He was staring at the ridge above them.
Adam gazed up and his heart seemed to stop for a few crucial seconds.
Gazing down at them, so still he could have been carved from midnight, was a tall, black, winged figure.
Winged.
As in…wings.
Adam tried to wrap his mind around this development, assuring himself they were not real wings, even as his disbelieving eyes took in the details of every glossy black feather. They sure as hell looked like real wings.
Rob seemed to recover from his initial shock. He said in a clear, loud voice, “What are you supposed to be?” and pulled his weapon.